Peyton Manning Shares Key Advantage Arch Manning Will Have in First Season As Starter

Arch Manning will have this advantage going into his first season as a starter for Texas.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Arch Manning is set to take over the starting quarterback job for the Texas Longhorns after sitting behind Quinn Ewers during his first two years of college.

Outside of making a couple starts for the Longhorns while Ewers was out due to injury, Arch has patiently waited in the wings for his opportunity to start. Arch's Hall of Fame uncle, Peyton Manning, actually believes this could be an advantage for Arch as he takes over the reigns as the starter.

"He's been patient. It's been well-documented, the fact that he's been there two years," Peyton said on The Pat McAfee Show. "I'm such a believer in mastering the system that you're in. When you have new coordinators every single year in the NFL or college, that's just frustrating to me. I was lucky Tom Moore was there for my entire 14-year career [with the Colts]. [Bill] Belichick gave [Tom] Brady some different coordinators, but it was the same system. Nick Saban makes his new coordinators learn his system, so does Kirby [Smart]. The fact that [Steve] Sarkisian calls the plays and Arch has been there two years already. [He's] gonna know the system and that's going to be a huge advantage for him."

“We try and be there as a resource for Arch and I’m excited to watch him play..

He threw the ball really well at camp and I’m looking forward to seeing him out on the field with Texas” ~ Peyton Manning #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/y2dqyqVU1i

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 30, 2025

With the current state of college football, many quarterbacks either go through coaching or coordinator changes or transfer to another school to get an opportunity to start. While Arch had to wait until his junior season to start, he has had stability at Texas, a rarity for many quarterbacks at either the collegiate or professional level these days.

Arch played well during his limited time as a sophomore, throwing for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 108 yards and four touchdowns. Arch will be tested as he becomes a full-time collegiate starter, but he will also be able to fall back on having the same system and coach behind him.

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